Emulsion gel cleaning compositions are well known in the art. For example, one well known emulsion gel cleaning composition is commercially available from the Assignee of record under the registered trademark GOJO.RTM.. Such compositions are also referred to as "waterless"; however, it should be understood, that the term "waterless" refers to the fact that the cleaning composition does not require the use of water together with the cleaning composition in order to clean dirt and grease from the skin. It does not mean that the cleaning composition does not include water. In fact, most, if not all, "waterless" emulsion gel cleaning compositions do indeed contain water in the composition.
Among the most significant problems associated with emulsion gel cleaning compositions is the fact that many formulations of the compositions are viscous, and therefore, are not flowable or pumpable. Thus, they are unsuitable for use in many dispensers as for example, so called bag-in-box dispensing apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,621,749 and 4,715,517 owned by the assignee of record, and rigid wall refill apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,036, the subject matters of which are incorporated herein by reference. Emulsion gel cleaning compositions are also generally unsuited for conventional squeeze bottles, requiring instead open top containers which can be dipped into by hand.
Heretofore, in order to make the cleaning compositions flowable and/or pumpable, the amount of water employed in the composition formulations was required to be either increased significantly or decreased significantly. For example, at least one known emulsion gel cleaning composition requires formulations wherein water comprises less than about 26 percent by weight or more than about 52 percent by weight of the total composition in order to be flowable and/or pumpable. However, such formulations are not considered to be optimal for this cleaning composition inasmuch as the cleaning performance and physical stability are severely reduced.
Thus, a cleaning composition which is less viscous than conventional emulsion gel cleaning compositions and which is flowable and/or pumpable for formulations of the composition containing optimal amounts of water is desirable.